April 8, 2020 —
CGCYBER and CG-6 are expanding Remote Access capabilities to support the greater demand. If you are unable to access the Coast Guard Network (CGN) from VDI it is likely that the system is operating at maximum capacity. Consider other options that will allow you to continue teleworking. VDI uses a relatively large amount of bandwidth relative to all other options. It’s recommended to only use VDI if that is the only way you can meet you mission essential information sharing needs. Other information sharing options, listed from most efficient to less efficient are: working offline by direct connecting from the commercial internet to a web-enabled application (e.g. Direct Access), Blackberry Mobile, and finally VPN. See list above. Further options that do not require the CGN including professional reading, professional research online, and any work on a device without a CG network connection may be acceptable; work with your supervisor.
To access email, try Outlook Web Access (OWA), which can be accessed through a personal computer with a CAC reader. For details, visit https://www.uscg.mil/Resources/CG-Web-Mail/.
You can also access CG Portal from a personal computer and a CAC reader. This program allows users to access file sharing, Coast Guard general messages, and internal Coast Guard documents. Also, many applications can be accessed off of the Coast Guard network using a CAC reader: